thatwebdude's comments

OP values Dylan over Tay-Tay. That's okay. My daughter thinks the opposite. That's also okay, and evolution of popular music.

When I was teaching guitar, the overarching trend I saw again and again, from the South the Midwest (so not a complete profile, but one large enough) was an interest in playing guitar but no real influences to latch onto.

My first question to a prospective student was "who are some of your favorite bands?". With enough blank stares I changed it to "what is some of your favorite music" with equal stares.

Kids (and adults) want to play guitar, but the initial excitement and rush comes and goes fast as they have no real guitar music to get into anymore.

Pop music has changed, and that's fine. It gets hard to find a memorable or "cool" guitar part in pop music. The last one I can think of is "Party in the USA", and that, of course, is subjective (and quite old now).

They're not dead, yet.

Or position yourself in a market that's competitive where you can demand higher wages and still benefit from tax/mental/equity-based benefits of having a stable home. If stable is what you want, that is.

Yes, if your financial advisor isn't doing their job you can fire them. Many of them (used to) have skin in the game with your money, too.

Also, lots of folks who lost out on the last recession would be in an equal place post-recession had they left them money to recoup the losses. It wouldn't have been gains, but it wouldn't have been the kind of losses they experienced either. Much easier said than done, though. I don't blame them.

> Will it ever see those levels again? I can't answer that. You can accumulate wealth extremely quickly with those kind of rates.

Doubt it. When the average savings account is <1%. I think that became permanent.

Agreed. You still have great buying power (locally) when every other merchant out there is demanding their piece of the pie.

Yes, exactly. The marketing local used to be "certified pre-owned" = "smart cars". The terms were used interchangeably, usually by differing brands.

If you're handy, and your housing market isn't super-hot right now (read: unaffordable), consider rentals. With the right tenants in a good market, it's quite passive income. And the build up of equity will provide a cash-out option later in life you may benefit from (if you choose to use it).

But don't rely on it, and don't overextend yourself. Traditional investment strategy is still a very good, solid one.

When I bought my car I noticed a "Start Up Volume" feature. I could be blaring the stereo on my way home, turn off the truck, then come back out in the morning to go to work. I wouldn't be deafened by the sudden jump in volume. It always starts at an adjustable level for that input source.

I don't understand why everything else that has a speaker doesn't have this feature.

Or needing to keep that one TV remote around because the Source or Exit button on the universal remote won't let you exit the "Sources" screen. But it'll control every single other function. Hate that!

Keeping Up With the Jones' is a concept that doesn't seem highlighted enough. Especially when you are at a stage in life where you have the financial means to attempt so.

That's good for you, some people shouldn't have those kinds of commitments. It certainly doesn't mean they're being "young and dumb" though.

When an emergency fund and X-months living expenses are compounded I really don't see the use of an emergency fund. Assuming someone has good enough credit to be able to borrow for short-term fixes in times of need.

Individual stocks, to me, is like gambling. With enough knowledge and foresight and luck you can really make a pretty penny.

I like the idea of also investing in funds. AI and professionals are already watching and picking these for you; it feels like investing as well, may have lower returns but typically much safer.

A mix of both seems very healthy and what a lot of able-bodies are doing right now.

"Smart Cars" (As they were once marketed before actual Smart Cars) and "Used Cars" are not the same to me.

Buying something 1 or 2 years old at 75% of the price with less than 20k miles just feels new to me. But maybe I've trained myself for that.

Agreed, compound interest is something most people find hard to visualize. I understand your aim for annual spending, and that's totally within means for you (whatever you're comfortable with). With the right goals, numbers, and savings you can live mostly off of interest, and that will get you furthest in retirement.

In my experience, seeing and hearing of people's general retirement goals and savings; they simply don't have enough to not feel it when they're done.

A mindset like the OP or yours makes that stage in life much more enjoyable and worry-free.

Indeed that's good. You'll never know if you don't like it if you never try it. Many say this age is the perfect time to try something new.

I'm not doubting the professional truck driver, though. Do you have experience running over porcupines? I do not. They've seen a lot. Enough to draw conclusions from fringe conditions like this.

Perhaps this is more of an occurrence on re-treads.

If not the market, definitely the regulations once traffic reports start piling up... Even faster when there's no one behind the wheel to blame.

Can't even imagine a manslaughter case where a driverless vehicle killed someone. Who's at fault? Most fault current resides in the driver, as they're the final call.